In Asia-Pacific (APAC), the fraud landscape has evolved into a highly industrialized, AI-driven ecosystem. Criminal syndicates are operating as synchronized global networks that share sophisticated tactics with their global counterparts. Autonomous AI agents, deepfakes, and voice cloning are being used to execute large-scale, and orchestrated attacks with unprecedented efficiency. Meanwhile, Southeast Asia is emerging as a global epicenter for scam activity and human trafficking, fueled by the proliferation of scam centers in border regions of Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos.
This collection of whitepapers, reports, and interviews examines this rapidly evolving landscape in 2025 and 2026, addressing critical offensive and defensive technologies, regulatory challenges, and the necessity of cross-industry collaboration.
These resources aim to equip industry stakeholders with the essential intelligence needed to navigate the complex fraud risks defining APAC today.
Identity Fraud Report 2025-2026 – Sumsub
The Identity Fraud Report 2025-2026 report, released in November 2025 by identity verification platform Sumsub, shares findings from an analysis of million of verification checks and more than 4 million fraud attempts between 2024-2025 to determine fraud and risk trends.
The report emphasizes the rise of “sophisticated” fraud and the emergence of AI fraud agents. These are autonomous, self-learning systems capable of executing entire fraud operations with minimal human intervention. It also highlights the industrialization of fraud production, which leverages AI, automation, cross-channel manipulation and orchestration to scale and automate attacks.
The report shares recommendations to organizations to navigate this increasingly complex risk environment, emphasizing, for example, the use of AI and autonomous agents for efficiency, and a shift from single verification checks to continuous assessment.
AI Reality Check: 2026 Fraud & AML Leaders Report – SEON
The AI Reality Check: 2026 Fraud & AML Leaders Report, released in February by fraud prevention and anti-money laundering (AML) compliance specialist SEON, looks at the state of AI adoption in fraud prevention and risk management.
Drawing from a survey of more than 1,000 industry leaders, the report highlights how AI has become baseline infrastructure for digital-first organizations, with a significant portion of professionals employing AI in transaction monitoring. It also delves into industry stakeholders’ views on AI effectiveness, and examines how fraud and AML budgets will evolve this year onwards.
Threat Intelligence Report 2026 – iProov
The Threat Intelligence Report 2026, released in April 2026 by biometric identity verification provider iProov, explores trends in the cyber threat landscape, highlighting three critical priorities: the globalization of crime, escalating attacks targeting iOS devices, and the expansion of deepfakes.
Organized crime is evolving into a synchronized global ecosystem, with Southeast Asian groups sharing sophisticated fraud techniques with their Latin American (LatAm) counterparts. Simultaneously, attacks targeting iOS devices are accelerating, fueled by advanced injection techniques. Meanwhile, rapid advancements of accessible AI tools is driving a proliferation of hyperrealistic deepfakes in corporate environments, posing significant challenges to current active liveness solutions.
This paper aims to equip professionals with knowledge on how traditional identity defenses are failing in light of these new and more advanced tactics, and what modern security architectures should look like amid an increasingly sophisticated risk landscape.
Banking After Hours: Do Digital Banks Tackle Fraud Differently? – Fintech Fireside Asia
In this episode of Banking After Hours, the Fintech News Network sits with Julius Rajeswaran, COO of Ryt Bank, a AI-powered digital bank in Malaysia, and Tai Vo, Director of Market Planning, Fraud and Identity, APAC at LexisNexis Risk Solutions, to discuss the fraud landscape in Southeast Asia, how innovative banks are reinventing fraud prevention, and the critical role of AI, behavioral data, and consortium-level intelligence in fighting emerging threats.
The discussion delves into the emergence of Southeast Asia as a global hub for scam syndicates, centers, and human trafficking, exploring how these criminals are recruiting victims to run schemes, along with the broader impact and consequences. Experts also discuss evolving fraud typologies, examining traditional account takeovers, modern impersonation scams, investment fraud, and AI-driven deepfakes.
To address these growing threats, the panelists stress that fraud prevention now requires a multi-layered approach, combining advanced technology with human empathy and industry-wide collaboration. They explore the case of Ryt Bank, which leverages dynamic behavioral biometrics, AI-driven deductive analysis, and omnichannel support to create personalized, frictionless security that balances robust protection with an enhanced customer experience.
Inside Asia Pacific’s Fraud Crisis and the Battle to Stop It – Fintech Fireside Asia
In this webinar hosted by the Fintech News Network, experts from GXS Bank, UOB, Tonik, and SEON, explore the fraud landscape in APAC, exploring the shift from simple transactional theft to sophisticated, AI-driven identity fraud and “authorized” scams. The panelists note that while budgets to fight fraud is increasing, losses are rising because criminals are adapting faster than traditional, reactive security measures, turning the fight into a continuous “cat and mouse” game.
In response, these experts recommend adopting dynamic know-your-customer (KYC) checks and behavior-based KYC models. They also call for regional collaboration, advocating for a regional, real-time intelligence-sharing consortium involving banks, telcos, and social platforms to disrupt fraud networks before funds are moved.
Upcoming Event on 7th May 2026 – Risk Ready Kuala Lumpur 2026 – LexisNexis Risk Solutions
At Risk Ready Kuala Lumpur 2026 on May 07, professionals in the industry came together to explore emerging threats, exchange insights, and share best practices in financial crime compliance and fraud detection.
Thought leaders and practitioners convened to discuss the key challenges shaping today’s evolving risk landscape, while AML specialists and anti-fraud professionals took part in dynamic, solution-focused discussions addressing critical issues in today’s security and compliance ecosystem.
The event featured keynotes and breakout sessions on fraud prevention and financial crime compliance, with speakers from LexisNexis Risk Solutions, major banks like CIMB and Citi, and consulting firms including PwC and KPMG. Key topics spanned AML regulatory updates, fraud orchestration, identity controls, scam prevention, and the use of AI and machine learning in combating financial crime across Asia.
The APAC Anti-Scam Blueprint: Fighting Fraud in the Age of AI – NICE Actimize, Regulation Asia
This whitepaper, produced in 2025 by financial crime, risk and compliance provider NICE Actimize in collaboration with financial news and intelligence platform Regulation Asia, examines how regulators, financial institutions and ecosystem participants across APAC are responding to the surge of fraud and scam activity in the region, and where current approaches are proving insufficient.
This paper explains why APAC has become the global epicenter of scam activity, driven by regulatory lags, uneven financial literacy and fragmented cross-border controls, and how AI is reshaping both attack and defense through deepfakes and voice cloning, but also behavioral analytics and real-time monitoring.
The paper details how regulators and law enforcement agencies are experimenting with new intelligence sharing arrangements and cooperative frameworks to disrupt transnational fraud networks. It concludes with a four-pillar blueprint for strengthening fraud resilience across APAC, focusing on shared accountability, ecosystem-wide intelligence, modernized regulatory tools and institutional preparedness.
Asia Pacific Risk in Focus 2026 – The Institute of Internal Auditors
Asia Pacific Risk in Focus 2026, released earlier this year by the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), shares the most significant risks impacting organizations today in the region, the top priorities for internal audit effort, and key considerations for boards and audit committees.
Drawing on survey results, regional roundtables, and interviews with local experts, this year’s report highlights concerns over growing geopolitical uncertainty, and unrelenting threats from cybersecurity and new technology, fueled by AI.
It reveals distinct nuances across the region. East Asia prioritizes human capital and business resilience over market competition, and the Pacific region faces equal threats from business resilience and cybersecurity while grappling with digital disruption. South Asia exhibits the highest sensitivity to geopolitical uncertainty and technology risks, and Southeast Asia sees cybersecurity and business resilience as top risks.
The paper also offers tailored recommendations to navigate these complex landscape. These include engaging with governing bodies on agility, supply chain adoption and talent retention strategies, fostering third-party collaborations, and strategically supporting AI adoption.
Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Singapore, based on image by rawpixel.com via Freepik
